Tour de France Stage 21: Pogacar Wins 5th Tour

The Tour de France ended today with a bang! Tadej Pogacar won his fifth overall classification, and he almost won this stage. He finished in second place to stage winner Wout van Aert. Pogacar went to the front with 26 miles left in the race. He joined a select group. It was a fitting end to the grueling race for the champion.

The group contained Wout van Aert, Mads Pedersen, Michael Matthews, Pogacar, Jasper Styven, Kaspar Asgreen, Vlad Van Mechelen, and Xabier Azparren. Then the race tightened up again. The yo-yo rhythm of the final stage dominated as teams looked to get their man in good position. Did you think the final stage would be so thrilling?

Tour de France Stage 21 Summary July 26

It was interesting to watch this last stage of the Tour de France, Stage 21, both because of the furious pace and the great scenery. As the teams raced to get their sprinters in position to win the stage, the peloton rode at a fantastic pace. The hectic (at times almost fifty miles per hour)race threatened to combine with the Paris cobblestones to produce several crashes. This stage was also fascinating because of the wonderful scenery in Paris. We saw the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, and all the scenes we saw in the Paris Olympics.

Pogacar was amazing today. He rode away from the Peloton on the first climb, on the second climb, and on the third climb. The race route had three laps of Paris, and the overall leader and wearer of the yellow jersey continued to push. He did the yellow jersey proud. There is a thought that the yellow jersey gives the rider wearing it some special powers.

There was a crash near the finish line today. Wout van Aert won the stage. Jasper Philipsen was second. Mads Pedersen was third. Max Kanter finished fourth. Oolif Kooij finished fifth. Overall, the battle was already won before today. Tadej Pogacar won the overall classification. Remco Evenepoel finished second. Isaac del Toro finished third. That was the podium. Paul Sexias finished fourth, and Lenny Martinez finished fifth. So, France had the fourth- and fifth-place finishers overall.

Race Shortened

None of the riders complained that the final stage was shortened to eighty-five kilometers. They were exhausted. The final stage of this tour was shortened because of fires in the countryside around Paris. They were the result of the heat wave that blanketed France and dogged the entire race. One has to wonder if, with the changing climate, this will be the case in future races. We will see.

Greatest Athletes in the World?

The Tour de France is a grueling test. When you add the extremely hot conditions, it is hard to argue against the notion that these athletes are the best in the world. They ride around the country of France, more than two thousand kilometers. They ride up and down mountains. They rode over all surfaces and in all weather conditions, including the heat and rain. Several of them crashed or got sick and kept going. All of this combines to make the bicycle racers of the Tour the best athletes in the world.

Conclusion

With his overall win in the Tour de France, Tadej Pogacar won the overall classification for the fifth time. He joined an exclusive five-win club. That club contains Eddy Merckx, Jacques Anquetil, Bernard Hinault, and Miguel Induráin. If one considers the other high finishers, it seems del Toro, Sexias, and Martinez have the best chance to challenge Pogacar. It is probably the case that Evenepoel and Vindegaard are not as good as Pogochar and, even when healthy, cannot challenge him. Del Toro won the white jersey as the best young rider. Mads Pedersen won the green jersey as the points leader and best sprinter. Richard Carapaz won the polka dot jersey as the best climber.